See this…
This makes me jump up and down and clap my hands together really fast! Partly because I'm happy to be finished, but mostly because it thrills me to see a multitude of handmade projects lined up after mass production! I love the feeling of accomplishment, and I love admiring the results! Ahhhh!
In this case, I was creating some wedding favors for my friend, Susan, who is getting married this coming weekend. When she told me that Gerbera Daisies were going to be her main wedding flower, which happened to be right after I had learned how to make Gerber Daisies with the Daisies #2 Die, I told her I just HAD to make some matching wedding favors for her!
We came up with a cute Matchbox Nugget Box that brought together her three wedding colors. I'm really happy with how they turned out and I hope she loves them as well! I think they will look great on her white tablecloths and the guests will enjoy a unique and personal twist to store-bought chocolates!
My very favorite part is the tiny Jewelry Tag that says, "Mr. & Mrs." on it! So cute and just the right touch!
Matchbox Tips
- I highly recommend using the Extended Crease Pad to get the best cuts and scoring when using this die (or any die with scoring). You'll use this in place of the cutting pad on the blade side of your die.
- Every Big Shot machine is different in calibration because it's hand-assembled. Sometimes you may have to use a card stock shim to get the best results. Sometimes using the two cutting pads is all you need. Experiment with your machine to see what works best.
- I used NO adhesive on the box bottom. If you fold the long sides in first and tuck the corners under the short sides, then burnish all of the sides with a Bone Folder, it should hold together perfectly! (If it doesn't, and you have a loose flap, use Sticky Strip, because SNAIL doesn't want to hold the sides down).
- I did use Sticky Strip to adhere the box sleeve together. Again, I wouldn't recommend SNAIL, because it will come apart when you handle it too much, or if it's humid.
Check out how to make Gerber Daisies at my previous post.
- I finished them off with a sparkly Rhinestone brad that attached them to the sleeve of the matchbox. Be sure to attach them before you adhere your sleeve ends together!
- To be fast, I quickly glued four layers together, laying them lightly over each other, then I used the tip of my Bone Folder to press around the inner circle to really push them together and hold them in place. I did this with both sizes of petals.
- I folded the petals up before adhering the layers, but I also fluffed them up after I secured them to the box top. You'll notice that the top petals are bent upward, while bottom petals sometimes curve downward. You can sculpt them to make them more realistic and dimensional.
- I let the daisies dry on wax paper, so they wouldn't stick to the table. Good move.
Inside the box, I included an assortment of Hershey's Nuggets that were decorated to match! You can find bulk Nuggets at Wal-Mart or Target, or even online (but you risk melting during shipping in summer months).
I opted to not use Designer Paper, and instead wheeled pretty designs on 1" x 3" Avery self-adhesive mailing labels. They don't completely cover the nugget, but they are close enough!
This was a really fast alternative, but the only bad part is that you can't tell what kind of Nugget it is before you open it. Oh well, it's a surprise! It's like a REAL box of chocolates…you never know what you're gonna get, right Forest?! I tried to help a bit by using a different wheel design for each flavor, so at least they may get the idea that they are different, and that way each person gets one of each kind. (Yes, I AM anal that way!)
You may have noticed in the first picture that 10 of the boxes were apart from the others. Well, those are the ones without chocolates for those who may be allergic to dairy or nuts (and man, there are a lot of people allergic to stuff these days!). I don't want anyone to miss out on the pretty boxes, so some have been kept in quarantine!
Once the guests eat their chocolates, they'll find a cute "Together Forever" decorative label at the bottom. It's all about the details!
Last, but not least, I made sure to stamp the bottom with my "hand stamped by" stamp. Do you make sure to stamp your name on your handmade projects? If not, you should! It's a work of art and you are the artist—be proud!
Personalized Name Stamps
There are lots of different styles of personalized stamps from Stampin' Up!, but they don't sell them online. The one I used above is called Hand Stamped By Flourish, and they have another one that features a polka dot butterfly.
They also have one-line, two-line, three-line and four-line personalized stamps that are perfect for return address stamps, special event dates stamps (like for a wedding), or ANYTHING you want to put on it up to 32 characters per line! I've seen them used for stamping the wedding couple's name on napkins, to create a personal saying to stamp on your projects, to provide your contact details (that's what I use on flyers), and much more.
Want more information and to see the complete selection of options, contact me!
- Stamps—Tiny Tags, Hand Stamped By Flourish, Together Forever (retired), Elegance Wheel, Spring Floral Wheel (retired), Forever Flowers Wheel (retired), Retro Remix Wheel (retiring, may be sold out because it's not coming up online)
- Ink—Night of Navy, Marina Mist Classic Ink.
- Paper—Night of Navy, Marina Mist, So Saffron, Whisper White card stock
- Accessories—Clear Rhinestone Brads, 1"x3" Self-Stick Mailing Labels, Hershey's Nuggets—yum!
- Tools—Daisies Flower #2 Die, Big Shot, Matchbox Die, Extended Crease Pad, Jewelry Tag Punch, Decorative Label Punch, Tombow Multipurpose Glue, SNAIL, Bone Folder, Paper Piercer & Foam Mat (for attaching brad), Sticky Strip, Glue Dots
I'll be sure to post pictures from the wedding! Can't wait!
Angie
These turned out beautiful! I’m sure she will love them.
These are fabulous, I love the way they look all together. Good Job!
It’s too bad that the pictures don’t do these little boxes justice. They are so much more beautiful in person! I love them! And you’re a crazy woman to make that many….Too Cool!
Angie, these are Amazing!!! Great project. I’m sure her guests will LOVE these! Wow! You go girl!